


Who You Are

by Pappels (SabakuNoKel)



Category: Moana (2016)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Minor Character Death, Misgendering, Pre-Movie(s), Trans Character, neither of them are good with words or emotions but they make do, of a non canon monster character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-05
Updated: 2017-05-05
Packaged: 2018-10-28 13:12:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10831983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SabakuNoKel/pseuds/Pappels
Summary: When a monster reveals something Tamatoa would have rather kept secret Maui reassures him it doesn’t change anything





	Who You Are

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story for my cousin. We watched the movie together and when we got to the end credits I told him Tamatoa has a typically female carapace for crabs so we started talking about Tama being trans and when I got home the idea had kindof stuck so I wrote this fic out.

Maui flew over and around the many multicolored mountains and dipping valleys of Lalotai, making sure to stay out of reach of any possibly carnivorous plant life as he scanned the horizon. When he found what he was looking for he circled back, swooping down to land on Tamatoa's shiny shell.

The monster tilted his eyestalks back to look at him after Maui had transformed back into his regular self. "About a mile and a half thatta way." Maui waved a hand in the direction he'd spotted their destination, watching as Tamatoa's eyes squinted up into a smile before the monster eagerly set off at a brisk pace.

They were treasure hunting today.

Tamatoa had caught word of a place where boats tended to wash up and had been eager to check out the rumor, spurred by the possibility of more treasures to add to his collection. Maui had been happy to accompany him though he was really only on the lookout for anything special the humans would praise him for returning instead of the shiny trinkets Tamatoa loved so much.

Settling back against the monster's gold covered shell Maui tucked his hands behind his head to stare up at the sea passing by above them. With Tamatoa carrying him it wouldn't take long for them to reach their destination, the journey going by much faster than if Maui had walked alongside the towering crustacean. True to his prediction it was only a couple of minutes later when Tamatoa came to a halt.

"Woah." The monster muttered in awe as he stared at something below them. Maui jumped from his perch, climbing his way up the back of Tamatoa's head to look between the other's eyestalk. His eyes grew wide as he beheld what could only be called a graveyard of ships.

Small fishing canoes to outriggers so massive they could hold entire villages filled the valley below them. Some had their masts broken, others their hulls cracked. There were even boats that had been ripped apart entirely, a testament to the destructive power of the ocean.

Tamatoa turned his gaze to look at him, raising an eyelid in silent question. Maui felt a smirk pulling at his lips, excitement building in his veins as he gave the crustacean a nod. Tamatoa shot him an answering grin before taking them down into the valley.

As they walked amongst the shipwrecks Maui stared at the massive piles of once mighty canoes with wide eyes. Even up on Tamatoa's back the towers loomed over them, piles stacked so high they'd be buried for sure if one were to suddenly collapse. Luckily there appeared to be a path between the wreckages through which Tamatoa managed to navigate them almost effortlessly, antennae twitching as he turned this way and that. Watching the monster's appendages move about Maui realized there was a current of air running between the massive piles of ships, leading them deeper into the valley.

Suddenly the narrow path opened into a clearing. Shipwrecks surrounded them on all sides, too high and precarious to climb should they need a quick escape. Maui only had a second to consider they'd been led into a trap when a voice called out.

"What's this?" The voice echoed, sending them both into high alert. Maui looked around but couldn’t spot the source of the voice, his skin prickling with the sensation of eyes watching him. Suddenly there was a loud noise of wood splintering and cracking as one of the mountains of canoes started to rise, revealing multiple legs and two large claws.

Another crustacean.

The monster was larger than Tamatoa and carried a collection of boats on its back, the perfect camouflage for their current location. It raised itself up higher, seeming to relish in towering over them. Well, Maui would show it that size didn’t matter.

With his hook in hand Maui jumped down from Tamatoa's back, crouching into a ready battle stance. Not that the monster noticed. The other crustacean was entirely focused on Tamatoa, twitching its antennae to scent the air as a predatory grin broke out on its face. "A female."

Tamatoa flinched which had Maui flicking his eyes over to look at his friend. The slip of panic on the other's face was only there for a second before it was overtaken by anger but Maui could tell the other's words had shaken him.

"I'm not female." Tamatoa growled as he snipped his claws at the monster. Maui's mind was quickly putting two and two together as he came to a surprised realization. He didn’t have time to truly think about it however, what with the other crab still looking at Tamatoa like he wanted to devour him in more ways than one.

"No?" The monster didn’t look concerned with Tamatoa's aggressive display as it crept closer, still smiling. "Sure smell like one to me."

Tamatoa inhaled sharply, jerking back. Maui frowned at the other crustacean, not liking that accusation one bit.

"Back off, buddy." Maui jumped forward, his hook held out in front of him. The warning glow of magic finally had the other monster acknowledge his presence. Large eyes flicked over his hook, over the tattoos on his body, as recognition set in.

"I know you. Maui, Protector of Humans." The 'Vanquisher of Monsters' part of that particular title was left pointedly unspoken. Maui didn’t acknowledge the silent accusation as he continued to stare the other down. The crustacean's eyes narrowed the slightest. "This is no business of yours, demigod."

"You're bothering my friend I say that makes it my business." The tightening of his grip on his hook didn’t go unnoticed by the monster.

The crustacean's eyes narrowed further, mere slits now. "You mean to fight over this female?"

Tamatoa was stiff as a board beside him, the usually confident and cocky monster completely frozen up. Maui felt a hot rush of anger building inside him at the other's words.

"What I mean to do is beat some sense into you." Maui didn’t give the crustacean the chance to retort as he transformed into his eagle form and took wing. He flew up until he was level with the monster's face before shifting back into his human form, swinging his hook down with his momentum. He slashed the other across the face, drawing blue blood and a pained yell from the now enraged monster.

Maui grinned as the wind rushed at him, twisting his hook to transform again. He flew back up, hovering in front of the monster. Giant eyes glared at him but Maui just smirked, hoping to provoke the other into action. As he'd expected the monster raised his claw to pluck him from the sky but Maui was faster, light on his wings and swooped under the claw before it could touch him. Tucking his wings in close Maui dove under the crustacean and shifted back into his usual form, his hook raised above his head as he delivered a slash to the other's soft underbelly.

The monster was really getting mad now. Cursing and raging as he chased after him, claws snipping at the air uselessly. Maui managed to evade the other for some time but his luck eventually ran out as the crustacean finally caught up with him mid-transformation, claw catching around his chest and slamming him down into the ground. The force of the hit knocked his hook from his hand, pain immobilizing him for a second but that second was all the monster needed to move his grip up to the demigod's neck and start pushing down on his windpipe. Maui gripped the pincers, trying to force them back open, his arms shaking under the strain when Tamatoa came barreling into their fight, knocking into the other crustacean and sending the stranger flying into a mountain of canoes.

Maui gasped, sucking air into his abused throat as he shot his friend a grateful look.

"Thanks, man." He said as he rubbed a hand over the healing bruises on his neck.

"Did you really think I was going to let you fight that jackass by yourself?" Tamatoa grinned at him and Maui was glad to see him acting like his usual self again.

The other monster managed to dislodge himself from the wreckage with a lot of noise, shooting them both a hate filled glare. "You shouldn’t have done that."

Tamatoa blinked at the other, an overly fake innocent expression on his face. "Oh, really?" He turned to the demigod with a mischievous smile. "Do you think I shouldn’t have done that?"

Maui grinned. "Oh, I definitely think you should have done that."

The other crustacean could tell he was being mocked as he growled at them. "You don't want to make me angry."

The smile dropped from Tamatoa's face and if looks could kill the other monster would have dropped dead where he stood.

"No, you don’t want to make _me_ angry." Tamatoa's skin flickered for a second, his features highlighted by bright neon like his own kind of war paint. He didn't appear to notice the brief glow of his bioluminescence but the other crustacean sure did if the way his eyes suddenly went wide with fear was anything to go by. The monster tried to take a step back but found himself crowded by the large barrier of shipwrecks.

Tamatoa's smile was gleefully vindictive as he charged at the other crustacean, meeting him in a clash of claws and brute force. Maui quickly transformed into his eagle form and joined in the fight, swiping at the other's eyes with his talons and generally being a painful and annoying distraction allowing Tamatoa to get the upper hand. For a fight between two giant-sized monsters it was over abruptly quickly as Tamatoa closed a claw around the other's throat and squeezed. The crustacean struggled, trying to push Tamatoa away but his grip was too strong.

The struggle ended soon after as Tamatoa let the other fall to the ground, lifeless.

"Scum." Tamatoa spat as he turned around and headed in the direction from which they came without giving the other monster a second glance. Maui flew after him, transforming back into his human form to walk behind the crustacean as Tamatoa led them back out the valley.

They walked home in tense silence, all thought of treasure hunting forgotten. Maui warred with himself about what to say, if he _should_ say something, his thoughts going in a hundred different directions all at once. It was clear Tamatoa hadn't meant for him to know what that other monster had revealed and Maui understood that, knew how hard it could be to talk about a part of yourself you didn’t want others to know about for fear of if changing how they saw you.

He thought of the tattoo on his back.

He'd shared his greatest secret and shame with the monster and Tamatoa had not judged him for it, had never treated him any different. Knowing he had the other's friendship despite his own emotional hang-ups and flaws meant the world to him and he would do anything in his power to reassure Tamatoa he didn't think any differently of him.

Mind made up Maui sped up his step, walking beside the monster to try and catch his eye. Tamatoa stared off into the distance, eyes unfocused and mind clearly elsewhere.

Maui cleared his throat, waiting a moment to make sure the other was listening before he spoke.

"What he said," Maui didn't want to say the words, remembering how Tamatoa had reacted to them before. "don't let it bother you."

The words didn’t feel good enough, not right in a way but he didn’t know how else to say them.

Tamatoa stopped walking and Maui did as well, looking up at the crustacean whose gaze was downcast and avoidant. The monster fidgeted nervously, opening and closing his mouth several times with a pained expression on his face before swallowing and forcing himself to speak.

"He was ri—"

"No, he wasn't." Maui interrupted before Tamatoa could say something he would come to regret. The other looked at him in surprise but despite Maui's reassurance doubt remained in his eyes. It pained him to see that expression on Tamatoa's face, to think of the words he'd almost spoken and felt he had to say.

Maui wasn’t good with this kind of stuff, real important emotional things, but if there was ever a moment where saying the right thing mattered it was now.

"You're Tamatoa. No matter what anyone says that's who you've always been and nothing will ever change that." Maui stepped closer to place a hand on Tamatoa's leg as he looked up into the other's eyes. "You know who you are."

Tamatoa sucked in a breath, his eyes becoming wet. For a moment he thought he'd said the wrong thing after all but then he realized the monster wasn't upset but _relieved_. Tamatoa looked like he was two seconds away from crying and they couldn’t have that, if he started crying Maui wouldn't be able to hold the floodgates back either.

"Hey, no, none of that." He said gently as he gestured for the other to lean down. "C'mere."

Tamatoa brought his face down to the demigod's level, chin practically touching the ground. Maui leaned forward and touched his forehead to where the other's nose would be if he had one. Not a typical hongi put close enough. They breathed, holding the air for a second before letting it back out again. When they opened their eyes to look at each other the world seemed to fall away, comprised of nothing but the two of them. As one they smiled, knowing that no matter what they always had each other.

**Author's Note:**

> If there's any tags I need to add to this please let me know. I tend to run pretty loose with the tags but I'll always edit if someone asks.
> 
> Still open to prompts/questions/trades on my tumblr ;)  
> http://pepperedappels.tumblr.com/


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